This is a recent news article on a controversial move that JCAC is planning:
Residents feel left in dark on shelter
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
By Kristin Longley
klongley@citpat.com -- 768-4917
Incessant barking and an unpleasant smell aren't desirable traits in a new neighbor.
That's why some Summit Township residents say they're concerned about the proposed new location for the Jackson County Animal Shelter.
The county Board of Commissioners on Friday approved a $1.3 million purchase agreement for a 5.5-acre lot at 3370 Spring Arbor Road across from Lumen Christi High School. The property currently houses Top Dog Pet Care, and commissioners say it's a good alternative to the county's current animal shelter, which is not up to code. Not up to code is a nice way to put it.
But some residents who live near Top Dog are outraged that county officials didn't tell them the site was being considered.
``We were blindsided,'' said Jane Januszewski, who lives on Ganton Drive, which dead-ends in a circle drive just north of the proposed shelter. ``We want to know why we weren't informed.''
Januszewski and other residents have invited county officials to a neighborhood meeting Wednesday so they can ask questions before the sale is final. Acting county Administrator Randy Treacher said he accepted the invitation and hopes to ease their concerns.
Treacher said the planned use isn't significantly different than the current use, which is grooming and boarding pets. He said he doesn't expect more noise, but the county plans to create a natural buffer zone -- possibly made of trees and shrubs.
``We have a lot of property there that will allow us to do things,'' Treacher said. ``We will to the best of our ability try and address the neighbors' concerns.''
Januszewski said neighbors want county officials to see how close their homes are to the property. Neighbors have questions regarding livestock, noise and the animal incinerator, which Treacher said would eventually move to the property.
They also want to know whether less expensive alternatives were considered. So do I. That's a lot of money for 5 acres and a couple of buildings that need to be improved with the county's money. Not to mention the trees and shrubs for the "buffer" and let's not forget the wildly popular incinerator.
The Spring Arbor Road property houses two buildings. The larger of the two would become the county's adoption center, where families can meet prospective pets.
The other building would house Animal Control, which takes in abandoned or mistreated pets and animals seized by the county. Animals would remain in isolation there until they're healthy enough for adoption.
The buildings need about $17,000 in improvements, which are included in the sale price. The owner will do the work. The money is coming from the county's public-improvement fund.
``This isn't a witch hunt. We want a lot of answers,'' Januszewski said. ``If they have the right answers, then fine.'' I have a question ... who personally is going to benefit from this?
©2007 Jackson Citizen Patriot
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
A little background on the horrendous atrocity that is the Jackson County Animal Shelter:
New facility discussed for animal shelter
Saturday, September 22, 2007
By Kristin Longley
klongley@citpat.com -- 768-4917
Under increased pressure from state inspectors to bring the dilapidated county animal shelter up to code, Jackson County officials are working to purchase a new facility. Why would they be under pressure to bring their shelter up to code, maybe because they are paying their staff tens of thousands of dollars to "rescue" healthy horses while their own dogs and cats wallow in filth and die of disease?
The Board of Commissioners discussed in closed session Friday a proposal to purchase an existing building for a new shelter. A group of concerned rescue and shelter volunteers and an animal control officer waited in the hallway, discussing problems with the current shelter, 2004 Blackstone St., which regularly receives unsatisfactory marks in state inspections.
Coming out of executive session, many commissioners seemed satisfied with the discussion.
"I think you're going to like what's happening," Commissioner James Videto said to the bystanders.
Acting county Administrator Randy Treacher declined to give specifics on the property, citing the building owner's privacy.
He did say that if the proposal is approved, the shelter's incinerator would remain at the Blackstone facility temporarily until it could be moved. That is just what Summit Township residents are hoping for, nestled between several golf courses ... an incinerator that allegedly disposes of over 500 lbs. of unwanted pets in a day.
The county board will vote on the purchase agreement at a special meeting on Oct. 5.
"Anything's better than what we have now," Animal Control Director Kimberlee Luce said. For once at least, I agree with Ms. Luce.
The county-operated animal shelter, built in 1975, takes in abandoned pets and animals seized by the county for aggression, or neglect by owners. Some are adopted or transferred out of the shelter and others are destroyed. Not many are transferred to other shelters, see article below. They don't want Jackson County animals for fear of spreading disease.
In inspection reports, state Department of Agriculture officials regularly note the strong stench and high temperatures due to insufficient ventilation, and have asked that some infrastructure repairs be made.
County officials for years have said they need a solution to the problems, but nothing had been done.
State inspectors have revisited the shelter in recent weeks, urging county officials to make repairs and bring the shelter up to standard. The shelter's unsealed concrete floors and crumbling walls can harbor bacteria and make the animals sick, officials said. It is often overcrowded. In short, the conditions at the county's own animal shelter on a daily basis are far worse than conditions found at Turn 3.
The state could revoke the license, shutting the agency down, or could issue fines if nothing is done, Luce said. But that has not been threatened at this point, she said.
Treacher has said the estimated cost to repair the current building is $250,000, and purchasing a new facility is a long-term, cost-effective solution.
Some weren't convinced.
"A new building is great, but if nothing is done about procedures and policies we think a change to a new building is going to be a temporary solution," said Diane Brush, volunteer with Jackson County Animal Rescue Friends.
Treacher responded: "We're looking at everything, not just a new shelter... We are going to change the way we do business."
©2007 Jackson Citizen Patriot
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
This wasn't the article I was looking for ... I will post a more shocking story later, once I locate it.
Okay, here it is ... I had to use ALL of my advanced Google skills to dig this up, it had expired from the site archives:
Clock ticking on strays, shelter
Sunday, July 22, 2007
By Kristin Longley
klongley@citpat.com -- 768-4917
Walking into the Jackson County Animal Shelter, the first thing that hits you is the smell. That's a pleasant thought.
It's the smell of years of stray dogs and cats, the odor of feces, urine and body oil lingering in the poorly ventilated facility.
The second thing that hits is reality. Rows of newborn kittens curl up to their mothers in cages stacked as high as 6 feet. In the adjacent hall, dogs stare cautiously from cages -- most wagging their tails hopefully, others growling and leaping at the rusty chain-link fencing.
The shelter, though not over its listed capacity, meets only the minimum standards set by the state, according to inspection reports. However, the circa-1975 facility at 2004 Blackstone St. regularly receives unsatisfactory marks in some categories, and volunteers say it is understaffed. I can't imagine why, sounds like a lovely place.
Animal Control Director Kimberlee Luce said she is aware of the frequent complaints, but the shelter's infrastructure makes it nearly impossible to sufficiently sanitize the holding areas.
"It is not in the best of shape," Luce said. "We do minor repairs on a regular basis, but we have limited resources." Apparently not limited enough to keep you from seizing a horse farm that you claim requires over $22,000 per month to maintain.
County officials have said for at least a year that the shelter is a problem, but they are not investing in it because they're pursuing an alternative. Estimates to repair the current building add up to $250,000.
Acting county Administrator Randy Treacher said he will present a proposal for purchasing or renovating another building by the county board's Aug. 21 meeting. Spending the money -- even if it means short-term borrowing -- would be worthwhile for a long-term solution, he said.
"(The shelter) is not up to current standards, but it's not disgusting," Treacher said. "It's not the best, but it does not make sense to put money in it if we're exploring alternatives. We really do want to do something dramatically different." Treacher says it's not disgusting. I recommend that he move himself, his family and any pets in for a week and see how that goes.
But the disrepair could soon have consequences -- such as more animals being euthanized or becoming ill, and more citations issued from the state.
Facilities in nearby counties are sometimes refusing to take transfer animals from the Jackson County shelter. The unsealed concrete floors and crumbling walls of the shelter harbor bacteria, and floor fans do little to circulate fresh air through the summer heat. There is no air conditioning.
To avoid euthanasia, some animals are transferred to facilities outside the county. The number transferred has declined every month since January, and in May was down 44 percent from last year. The number of animals euthanized has dipped at times, but showed a 3 percent increase from this time last year.
"Out of all the shelters I have worked with, Jackson County's is the worst by far," said Julia Gunger, executive director of the Battle Creek Animal Shelter. "The dogs are so miserably sick and they bring illness."
The Battle Creek Animal Shelter is a nonprofit, no-kill facility run entirely by volunteers. It has regularly taken Jackson County dogs who were on the verge of being put to sleep, but that is changing as the shelter falls deeper into disrepair.
Gunger said she has had Jackson County dogs die from upper respiratory infections and infect dozens of other dogs in her shelter with "kennel cough." She said the cost to treat dogs from Jackson County ultimately is too high.
"Right now, we're close to full -- I would deny taking the dogs," she said.
The past three inspection reports from the state Department of Agriculture consistently say damaged wall brackets and chain-link fences in the Jackson County shelter could injure the animals. Unsatisfactory marks for sanitization of feed containers and enclosures have improved, but an e-mail between state employees, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, notes the high temperatures and strong stench.
Commissioner Earl Poleski, vice president of the County Agencies Committee, said he is not satisfied with the shelter's poor condition, and he called it a "grim" place of business.
"It's one of those issues that everyone's aware of but other things tend to distract from it," he said. "It's something we absolutely need to look at.
"It's bad enough for animals to be there, but more than that it doesn't seem to be a pleasant place for our employees to work."
The dogs currently are kept behind chain-link gates, with usually two, but sometimes three or four, dogs to a cage at times. Large litters of kittens and cats bat playfully at their kennels, but are extremely difficult to transfer and most are euthanized.
Luce and the three Animal Control officers spend most of their time in the field. Four additional employees, some part time, share the shelter's duties, including cleaning cages and caring for the animals.
"It's no secret we're understaffed," Luce said. "But we do the best we can with what we have."
One local volunteer group is actively campaigning for a change. Jackson County Animal Rescue Friends was able last year to transfer out nearly every adoptable dog -- meaning those that aren't aggressive or wild -- to shelters across the state.
But that's getting harder, as the group constantly hears complaints about animals from Jackson County.
"Our goal is to increase adoptions and cut back on unwanted animals," leader Janette Mraz said. "But if they don't increase employees and don't do more with the building this is a lost cause."
After recently euthanizing "perfectly adoptable" dogs because other shelters refused them, Mraz and volunteer Diane Brush attended a county board committee meeting and supplied commissioners with recommendations. They included photos of the animals "who didn't make it."
Gunger said the shelter should be a place people want to come and find the "newest addition" to their family.
"It looks like a dungeon. It should be a happy place," she said.
Long-term suggestions from Animal Rescue Friends include improved lighting, air conditioning, ventilation and "cleanable" floors and walls.
Luce also said those improvements are on her "want list" for a new facility. She said it is possible for dogs to get sick from the germs in unsealed floors.
"A newer building would improve all that," she said. "These are just the basic needs."
©2007 Jackson Citizen Patriot
© 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.
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